The Show Must Go On
by EmeraldEyedEvans
Summary: The Sequel to "Lily and James the Musical". Meredith LaBelle, Remus, Sirius, and of course our dear Lily and James' lives at the end of their 7th year and after Hogwarts as a musical!
1. Default Chapter

Chapter One: "Seven Years"

Norah Jones

The next year whizzed past the six of them, and the day before Graduation was a blur of packing, running around retrieving lost possessions, and of course saying goodbye to everyone that the girls met. Nearly half the day was gone before they returned to their now woefully stripped dormitory. The clothes and shoes that had littered the floor were all packed into the numerous suitcases that lined the walls. Lily was taking home a lot of her books and decorative things that hung on the walls, and Meredith was taking her posters that had come out of her year-long subscriptions to Witch Weekly. They were pullouts of all the famous hot wizards of their time.

Lily sighed and flung herself onto the empty four-poster bed. Life was going to be very different now. After all, she had to go back home to her horrid sister for another summer. She was going to have to suffer through two and a half months of being stuck with her family until their last formal "together" summer vacation was over. After that, Lily was going to move onto her Healer training. She was a charms connoisseur, so sure in her abilities that she was ready for all the challenges that awaited her as a healer in training.

"Lily, stop staring at the ceiling." Meredith stood in her formal robes and black Mary Janes, waiting impatiently for her day dreaming friend. Lily was her best friend in the world, but sometimes she was so introspective that she worried about how she was doing. Meredith had troubles on her mind too after all, but she knew that she had to go on forgetting them. They say to stay on the sunny side of life, so why would you wallow in your own pity if life could be fun?

"Meredith, I'm worried."

"What?"

"I'm worried. I know where I am going in life, but I cannot stop myself from thinking of where I would be going had I accepted James' offer. I mean, that ring was stellar. Anyone would have been completely dazzled by its cut and optical qualities, but somehow I couldn't see anything else but those eyes. Those chocolate eyes burned their sullen image into my mind, and I can't escape it, even as I'm lying here trying with all my might." Lily let her eyes close and roll backwards. There was so much pent up emotions shooting off like fireworks inside her that she could not endure it all a minute further.

"Lily, My dearest best friend," Meredith said as she sat down on the bed, lifting Lily's shoulders up and leaning them against her own, "Lily, James is just a boy. We are young, only 17! It's not the time to be deciding who to marry! We have our whole lives ahead of us, and I'm sure that there will be other guys vying for your hand. Listen to me Lily forget him. Just forget him."

With that, the two best friends hugged and cried into each other's sleeve.

- _"Spinning, Laughing, Dancing to her favorite song, a little girl with nothing wrong is all alone,"_ -

--

_(The Night Before)_

_They sat together by that tree facing the lake, talking about the future. Their graduation was, after all, tomorrow. All their sensible friends had long since gone to bed, but neither of them could sleep, and Lily and James had decided to sit up and talk, back at the same spot where they had talked and laughed only a year ago. _

_"Lily, can I ask you a question?" James looked into her eyes, examining their beauty. _

_"Sure James, what about?" she responded, gazing back into his. _

_"I wanted to ask you about the future." He breathed deeply. "Lily Evans, will you marry me?"_

_"What?" she asked stunned at the question._

_"Will you marry me? I mean, I know I don't have a lot, but I do have this ring that I'd like you to wear." He grinned._

_"James! I, I don't know James, I mean, there's so much to life that I don't know if I'm ready for such a, a commitment." She stood up and turned away from him, breaking into a sobbing run._

_"Lily!" James called out and tore away after her, grabbing her by the shoulders. "Lily, Lily, Lily. I love you, and I hope you know that. I thought that you felt the same!"_

_She cried harder and covered her face with her hands, only to have James rip them off. She looked up into his hazel eyes that were burning with pain and anguish. Lily couldn't bear to see that face, knowing that it was her who made the ache behind those eyes._

_"I'm sorry James, I'm so sorry. I can't! I just don't think that I can! Voldemort is getting stronger everyday and I just don't know how it will work! We're both targets, and please don't deny it, everyone knows you're the heir to Gryffindor, and my parents being muggles will rank me high on Voldemort's hit list with you. He'll do something, James I know it. If I married you, he might do something to one of us to get to the other, and I just couldn't bear having that kind of responsibility!" She burst back into tears, but this time she threw herself unto his chest and sobbed until she had cried all the tears her body could muster. _

_"Lily, I understand, but we could marry, and everything would still be fine!" James insisted._

_"JAMES! I know you can't stand to hide in a hole away from Voldemort, and I can't either, so why force ourselves to do that to our families and friends?" she tearfully replied._

_"Lil-" he started to speak, but Lily cut him off._

_"James, I love you, but this just will never work. I hope you enjoy the rest of your life. I mean it, even if I can't spend it with you." She wiped the tears left in her eyes and perfunctorily kissed him, racing off into the night, swinging open the castle doors and letting them slam behind her. _

--

_- "Eyes wide open always hoping for the sun, and she'll sing her song to anyone that comes along," -_

--

James took a last look in the mirror before leaving his dorm room. His black formal Hogwarts robes were crisp and pressed, thanks to his parents, but he just couldn't get his tie to stay on straight. _Just go ask one of them to put it on for you! _His mind told him. Sighing in submission, James flung the door open and took the stairs two at a time.

In the Gryffindor Common Room, the whole of the Gryffindor 7th year was packed in, sitting around in their formal school dress robes. Immediately, one group of people especially stood out to James. He grinned and walked over to his friends. Meredith was seated next to Remus, Peter beside him, Sirius next, then Lily. The five were sitting in a circle of armchairs, and as James approached, they all looked up and smiled. Well four of them did anyways.

"Hey Prongs, decided to get up and come to Graduation after all, eh?" Sirius' clever remark came out first to meet him. Everyone else (except Lily, who kept her head down, scanning her nails nonchalantly) smiled at him reassuringly, because just last night James had told them that he didn't know if he wanted to graduate. This, of course, was after Lily had said no to him for what seemed to be the last time.

"Yes, I made it. Happy?" he smirked in that traditional grin, "I just have a slight problem"

"What?" Lily answered first. James almost had to double take when he glanced at her. She looked almost like everyone else did, what with the robes, but her hair was straightened, save for the occasional ringlet curl. It was a lovely look for her, and he was sure that any guy would be pretty damn lucky to end up with Lily in the end. It just killed him that he wasn't going to be that guy.

James held up his red and gold tie. "Will one of you girls help me?"

Meredith avoided Lily having the opportune moment to strangle James and spoke up first, "I'll help you James."

He flashed a look at Lily, something in between pain and remorse. James was so sure that night when he asked Lily that she would say yes, but the unfair world was stealing her from him. Again.

_- "Fragile as a leaf in autumn, just fallin to the ground, without a sound," - _

James' world had dissolved from in front of his eyes. **The** girl had just refused his proposal that would have completed his life. Lily was the only girl that he wanted to be with, the only girl he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. He was in love with her, and he had known that she was too, but it seemed that ever since the rise of Voldemort and his Death Eaters, Lily had feared for herself, being muggleborn. James wanted to be her protector, the one to keep the world away from her.

"Prongsie, hello?" Sirius broke into his reverie.

James shook his head, only to see that Meredith was finished with his tie, and currently the house was lining up in alphabetical order for their Graduation. He turned and joined the line in between Portman and Quest, looking up the line to catch a glimpse of Lily. It seemed as though everything he had taken for granted about her was jumping out at him, so he had to stare. Those eyes, Lily's emerald eyes, those eyes he wished would look only at him for the rest of their lives, danced around the room, smiling at everyone except for him.

_-"Crooked little smile on her face, tells a tale of grace, that's all her own" –_

_Don't__ look back, don't look back, and don't look- oh! _Lily had been telling herself to keep from making eye contact with James, who had been staring at her for the longest. She had just disobeyed herself and for one fleeting second, their eyes locked into a steady gaze. Lily threw her gaze to the floor in front of her, trying to block out the thoughts that began racing through her mind whenever their eyes met. _Think about him- you broke his heart, not to mention your own. When there was no reason to! You know he loves you, and that he'd do anything for you. You would have been safe… James would have protected you no matter what! _

The sensible side of Lily overcame her thoughts just in time to see Professor McGonagall turn around to the line of students, smiling an almost sad smile.

"This," she said, clearing her throat, "Will be your last time as Hogwarts students to leave the Gryffindor Common Room. I hope you all will just remember some things about your years here. Whether it was Potter, Black, Lupin, and Pettigrew's antics or those of Miss LaBelle and Miss Evans, I know we've seen some amazing things in these past seven years. Not to mention our phenomenal Quidditch Cup record, thanks to the great leaders we've had on this team. Anyway, I just hope now that as I let go of you as my students, you will take life seriously. Realize that now, more than ever, the choices you make will effect the rest of your life. Alright, enough of this sentimentality; I'm sure all of you are ready to graduate!"

She turned around and opened the portrait hole, stepping out onto the empty marble staircase. Lily could see out of the corner of her eye the Ravenclaws procession down from their tower. She could have been in Ravenclaw, the sorting hat had definitely urged her to decide that way, but as it sat upon her head, it searched her mind thoroughly.

-Seven Years Ago-

-The Great Hall-

-The Sorting-

_"Evans, Lily." Professor McGonagall read aloud. Slowly, a small redheaded girl walked towards the stool, gingerly taking a seat. The hat was placed upon her head, and as the professor did so, the sorting hat began to whisper into her ear. _

_"Ah, Miss Evans… Very smart, I can tell, surely to be an expert in Charms. How does Ravenclaw sound to you dear?" the hat paused for a second, the musty smell of the very old chapeau filled Lily's nose. The hat was supposed to see into your deepest thoughts and fears, knowing whether or not you were suited for that particular house. Ravenclaw, Lily thought would have been an excellent place for her, since Rowena Ravenclaw was studious and ambitious, exactly who she wanted to be... _

_"I, I don't know. I read that Godric Gryffindor was supposed to be the foremost planner for Hogwarts back when it was founded." She replied tentatively._

_"Gryffindor then, eh?__ Home of the brave and courageous, alma mater of the true of heart, the place where real heroes live and thrive. If it is truly where you want to end up, then so be it… GRYF-"_

_"WAIT!" she thought._

_"Yes?" the hat asked, intruding on her thoughts again._

_"What if Gryffindor is not where I am supposed to be? What if I am meant to be in Ravenclaw?" _

_ "You belong wherever you wish to. The only person who can decide that is you, dear. So, what will it be?" the hat asked in her ear_

_"Gryffindor I think." _

_"GRYFFINDOR!" the hat burst out, prompting an uproarious commotion of cheers, whistles, and yells. _

_Lily hopped off the stool and proceeded to the long table where the crowds of supporters were still on their feet welcoming in the new comer. Finally, Lily felt like there was someplace that she belonged. _

_-"Spinning, Laughing, Dancing, to her favorite song, a little girl with nothing wrong is all alone"-_

Lily sighed and brushed her hair off her shoulders back behind her. Tilting her chin upwards and matching squarely behind the rest of the line of Gryffindors. She was going to face this brave new world with as much dignity and integrity that she could muster.

_ -"A Little girl with nothing wrong is all alone."-_

**(A/N): YAY! Short, yes, but I was so eager to get this started that I could not wait for more inspiration. First chapter is up after like a month and a half break, so now I am READY! Ok well I guess I will answer reviews for chapter ten of the first in this little series here!**

**Reviews!!**

**Lj4ever- thanks!**

**Sally: merci ma belle amie!**

**Lizzle****: thanks for being such a great reviewer!! You're awesome! :D**

**Hpandfriendsruletheworld****: thanks, I hope that I can! PRAY FOR LESS HOMEWORK!**

**Lj4ever/Ella Enchanted Forever: I love those songs, yes but they're sadly not by Anne Hathaway… they're oldies man, way before little Anne's time! Just a note! Keep an eye out for those because I really like them, though!**

**Ourlittlesecret7: haha I do that too!! Lol but yeah LAX season starts in… counts on fingers a long time! :( sadness… but the hot guys are around playing football and soccer, and I'm a cheerleader, so I'm not complaining! :-D**

**Madame-knight: I'm sorry you don't like the songs a lot, if you give me suggestions I'll try my best to include them! ;)**


	2. When I Look to the Sky

Chapter One: "When I look to the Sky"

Train

_The horn blasted as the steam train came to a stop, and the students poured out with their trunks clunking behind them. Among the throng of children and young adults, six in particular stood together, hugging each other. Two girls, aged about seventeen, hugged and kissed goodbye the four similarly aged boys, turning away and walking out of each other's lives, possibly forever. Well, one of the two girls did at least. The second, furious from a row she had been in earlier, bid her farewells to the others, excepting a certain raven-haired boy._

_Lily Evans and Meredith LaBelle wiped tears from their eyes as Remus Lupin, James Potter, Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew faded from view. On the other side of the brick wall border, they left each other for their families, hugs and tears speaking in lieu of words filled the already humid June day. Each was leaving platform 9¾ for what seemed to be the very last time in their lives…_

_--_

A nineteen-year-old Lily opened her eyes to see rain splattering the window of her London flat. She had fallen asleep again reviewing patients' files on her window seat. Stirring slightly, she ran a hand through her auburn-claret hair._ That memory… Why wouldn't it just leave her alone? _That day, the day of their Graduation, the Marauders plus Lily and Meredith all had bid each other goodbye, setting off for the rest of their lives. They'd all found different ways to go, well, almost.

James and Sirius both followed their natural talents as Quidditch players, moving on to play professionally for England. James was England's star chaser; Sirius was his right wingman, and the two of them with the young seventeen-year-old Matthew Maloney were damn near unbeatable.

Lily and James had not exactly left on good terms. Actually, she had been quite angry with him when they said goodbye to each other that day. But somehow, even after their horribly catastrophic break-up, James would write to Lily, telling her how the Quidditch trials were going, and she would always grudgingly write back, sometimes pretty bitterly, telling him how time consuming her job was, and how she couldn't write to him for long, people were waiting for her. Soon they grew older, and as they did, they grew further and further apart, and nowadays she received almost no owls from him. The last she had received was one saying that he wouldn't be able to write for a while, because they were going to Switzerland for a tournament, and he was leaving his owl at home.

Meredith, conversely, as one of the more brave ones in their group, went on to auror training, and at twenty (she was older than Lily by five months), she completed her training in record time. Her mentor and advisor turned out to be Mad Eye Moody himself, and even though she was a rookie, Meredith was called out a lot for missions where her expertise in charms (she had Lily train her at night all through 7th year until she was a charms master). The last time Lily had heard from her best friend, they were conducting a Death Eater raid in some far off location and wouldn't be able to inform anyone any further as to the status of her work.

Remus' job searching was going harsh, because trying to get hired was hard being a werewolf and all. He would come over and visit Lily occasionally, staying for hours at a time. She was the only remaining person out of their group of six that he could get within thirty feet of without being mobbed by fans or stunned by aurors. Lily had grown to really enjoy Remus' company, as neither of them had anyone else their age to really have a conversation with. Lily was sure that he was still just her friend, but Remus was handsome, sweet, smart, and since Meredith had gone fully into being an Auror, available. Neither of them was sure where Peter went to; he seemed to just disappear into thin air. That bothered Lily. How could someone with such famous friends just vanish?

Lily sighed at the thought of her friends. They were gone, so it shouldn't matter to her anymore, right? Wrong. Her friends remained in the back of her mind, and at night her dreams brought them back to her, in haunting shadows of their past selves. Lily pressed her cheek to the cold window one last time and then got up from her seat. A few minutes later, Lily was in the shower and out again, dressing quickly and efficiently.

She was Head Healer in St. Mungo's and with Voldemort on the rise, she, like everyone else in the Wizarding world, was a little tenser. Day by day there were the normal accidents and injuries, but she had gradually seen a rise in the number of aurors coming into the wards from spell damage. If they weren't near death, they were out of their minds, or worse, just in a vegetative state. On a daily basis she wondered if it was going to be one of her best friends in the stretchers and hospital beds.

The lime green robes with the wand and cross bones emblazoned on the front clashed terribly with Lily's red hair and emerald eyes. She wished that there was something that she would be able to do in order to make them look different, but policy was policy, and uniformity gives strength, they say. Strength was what they needed now, more than ever before.

_"When it rains it pours, and opens doors, and floods the floors we thought would always keep us safe and dry" _she sang to herself while tying up her hair. Rain was often troublesome in London with accidents, but when it rained, it seemed as though the city was washing away everything. As much trouble as it was, Lily enjoyed rain, and if it wasn't for that fact, she would never have fallen in love with the calmness of the city during a rainstorm.

_-"And in the midst of sailing ships we sink our lips into the ones we love that have to say goodbye."-_

--

Thunder exploded and lightning flashed, tearing white-hot bolts in the light morning sky. Ripping his gaze from the window, James turned to stare blankly at the other side of the room, exhaling. It was raining everywhere it seemed, even back in London, where Moony was. _Remus isn't the only one in London you care about… _his mind tugged.

_"And as I float along this ocean, I can feel you like a notion that won't seem to let me go."_ The song was playing itself over and over in his head, and quietly he sang part of it to the window.

"James. James? Hello? Did you even hear a word I just said?" a voice cut into his thoughts.

"Yes, of course I heard you Padfoot." He replied automatically, lazily looking at his friend.

"Fine, then, what did I say?" Sirius grinned and folded his arms challengingly.

"Okay, I wasn't listening. Sorry, it's just that I can't stop thinking about her. She's everywhere! Whenever I turn around, I see those eyes staring back at me with that gaze burning into my face." He answered.

"You're thinking about Virginia again, aren't you?" his best friend rolled his eyes and turned back over onto his stomach. The two guys were hanging out in James' loft. Since their team was in Switzerland for a three month Quidditch Tournament, each of the players was given an apartment to live in. Sirius was reading a Quidditch Supplies magazine on James' couch, but James was sitting on his window seat.

"I wasn't thinking about Ginia!" James retorted defensively.

"Oh sure, I believe you. You only had that dreamy glazed over face while you stared out of that window at the exact same spot for an hour. You **definitely **weren't thinking about her." Sirius sarcastically said, flipping through the rest of his magazine.

_-"When I look to the sky something tells me you're here with me, and you make everything alright."-_

Virginia Moore, the girl James had been thinking about, was England's best seeker, but she was also James' girlfriend. He and Sirius had known Ginia for years; she was the first person they had met when they were drafted into professional Quidditch. They had met quite by accident. She was blindsided by a bludger and had fallen off her broom during one of the practices James was watching. She had landed in his unsuspecting arms. Virginia had satiny dark brown, near black, hair that fell to her shoulders. Her eyes were the apex of her beauty though. They were a gorgeous, luminous and brilliant ice blue color. One look from those crystalline eyes, and James would be on his knees. It wasn't his fault completely that she had such a hold over him: she was extraordinarily unlike anyone James had ever met.

_-"And when I feel like I'm lost something tells me you're here with me, and I can always find my way when you are here"-_

"Anyway, Prongs, like I was saying while you went completely gaga on me, I was going to invite some of our old buddies from school up here for a little get together. You know, for old time's sake."

Sirius grinned mischievously. Having all the Marauders and their best girl friends, Meredith LaBelle and Lily Evans, come over would be great fun. True, they hadn't seen each other since he and James had left the train station nearly three years ago, but that didn't matter. Sirius had made a promise to all the others, that nothing in the world would sever their ties to each other completely, come hell or high water.

"What? **Who **exactly did you say was going to come over here?" James perked up.

"Oh, some of our old friends." He said flippantly, heaving himself off the couch and walking towards the refrigerator. "Do you have any ice cream, James?"

"Don't change the subject!" he snapped, wanting to know who he was planning on parading around his apartment, "Sirius, who are you inviting?"

"Oh, you know the old gang. Moony, Wormtail, Meredith, Lily…" he trailed off, sticking his head into the freezer to look for something to eat.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, I thought we talked about this! I told you I'm done with Evans!" James stood too and grabbed his friend by the shoulders, pulled him from the appliance and turned him around. "I refuse to let you invite Lily up here. I have a girlfriend that I happen to like a lot, and I don't think that it's the best idea to bring the girl I asked to marry me!"

_-"And every word I didn't say caught up in some busy day,"-_

Sirius saw the flashing hazel eyes and stopped smiling. He knew how much Lily had hurt James, but she was one of their best friends from school. It wouldn't be right if Lily wasn't there. He liked Lily, regardless of how she had turned James down; she was one of the gang! James would never let him live to say it, but Sirius knew somehow they were perfect for each other.

_It's all Voldemort's fault. _He thought bitterly, thinking about how happy his best friend would have been had it not been for Voldemort and his twisted followers. _Like your brother._ No matter how hard he tried, Sirius could never block out the memories he had about his brother. Regulus had been the son his parents wanted, one that would have done everything to please them, even if it meant becoming a Death Eater. Sirius had been the black sheep, the one that was scorned for running away and openly denouncing the dark side.

"James, you can't run from the girl. She was your friend before your girlfriend, don't you remember that Lily, The one that you were just friends with?"

"That's just it Padfoot, I never really was just her friend! I always loved her. I always loved every little thing about her! She just didn't seem interested in guys at all, and I found it hopeless to tell anyone about it." James dropped his hands from Sirius' shoulders and turned away, walking over to the couch and plopping himself onto it.

"Prongs, I always knew. Moony did too. Hell, we all knew that you loved her." Sirius said quietly, "It was how you stared at her for hours at a time, and when we brought you back from your gaze, you thought it had been only a minute. I can't blame you for not wanting to see her James, but sometimes you've got to let go of old grudges."

_-"And every dance on the kitchen floor we didn't have before,"-_

James shifted in his seat, obviously uneasy with the thought of old times. It was true; he had tended to stare at the back of her head for full class periods at a time while subconsciously writing "Lily Evans Potter" all over his notes. His situation didn't improve at all for years, every class he had with her was his favorite part of the day. He had given up in fourth year because Marlon Finch had pushed Lily into the lake, and for the longest she seemed to think that every guy in the whole school was a worthless, good for nothing jerk out to get her. That had changed when the six of them became friends at the beginning of 5th year. James didn't prank as much as he used to, and he stopped picking on Snivellus for once in his life. Lily began to laugh more, smile more, and shine like the star he had always imagined her to be.

But that was all over now, and he didn't think about her anymore since she broke his heart those long three years ago. James decided that he had officially "moved on", and with that, he determined that he was over Lily. So why did he care so much about her coming over for a friendly get together? I mean, there would be four other people there for them to talk to! It wasn't as if it was only him, on a date with her. That, James resolved, would have been complete hell.

-_"And every sunset that we'll miss I'll wrap them all up in a kiss, and pick you up in all of this when I sail away,"-_

--

The doors slid open as Lily stepped out of the elevator, proceeding to the nurse desk. She picked up the tablet and touched her wand to the charted page. "Lily Marie Evans" scrolled its way into the empty box by the 9:00 a.m. slot, signing her in for the day. Another day, another round of sick and injured people to take care of, people to save from death or pain, people to comfort and console. Too many people to remember, too many hurt people in the world, waiting for her and her colleagues to help.

"Good morning Healer Evans" the witch lazily replied as Lily handed the tablet back to her.

"Good morning Pricilla, any new cases so far?" she inquired while consulting her wristwatch.

"No serious ones, not on this floor as of last night, no."

"Thanks."

She turned away and pushed open the double doors to the Spell Damage Ward. As she checked on her patients, she sang quietly to herself, _"And while I float upon this ocean I can feel you like a notion that I hope will never leave,"_

--

_-"When I look to the sky, something tells me you're here with me, and you make everything all right. And when I feel like I'm lost something tells me you're here with me, and I can always find my way."-_

Remus sat in Dumbledore's office, looking over all the little trinkets that were placed here and there across his shelves and desk. _I wonder what they're all for… _He found himself wondering the same thing he had always wondered whenever stepping into the Hogwarts Headmaster's office. A little whirring noise was emitting from one of them, its rotating arm spinning about urgently, like it had been for the last ten minutes. Puffs of smoke were coming out of another in intervals of 13 seconds exactly, showing various objects in the ephemeral white wisps.

"Remus." An old and wizened voice came from behind him as the sounds of a grinding stone staircase came to a stop and a door was opened.

"Albus," Remus got to his feet and lifted his hat off his head in respect for his old professor and lifelong mentor. Dumbledore had allowed him into Hogwarts as a young boy, despite his… well… condition. Remus had come to grips with the fact that he was no longer a teenager and did not have his best friends always around to protect other people from him. He was open with prospective employers, telling them that he was what he had been trying to hide- Remus Lupin was a werewolf. As one could imagine, things never went very smoothly from that topic.

"Remus, I know how hard it is for you these days," Dumbledore calmed said, taking his seat behind the vast mahogany desk, "but there are some things that require your attention, you see…"

"What is it?" his voice was weak, like he was tired of hearing the same old same old. He often wished that he could be back as a student at Hogwarts, what with all the fun and merriment that he and the other Marauders were constantly creating.

"Peter. I need you to find him, wherever he may be, and bring him back to me. I mean for you to cause your dear old friend no harm, no, not at all. I mean to talk to him about his service to the Dark Lord."

Remus gasped. _Service to the Dark Lord? _He knew that Wormtail was silly, a fool, at best, but he couldn't have gotten himself in such a multitude of trouble! _Well, _a voice deep inside of him whined, _He never really liked hanging out with you, Sirius and James at the end of the year… He never did any pranks with you on the Slytherins after that one time that you all found him beaten up crawling back to the common room. _It was true. The three of them had been returning to the common room late at night after a midnight snack form the kitchens, when they had found poor Peter passed out and all beaten up nearly 30 feet from the portrait hole.

"Me, Albus? But why?" he knew that he shouldn't question Dumbledore's judgment, but something about going off into the world and tracking down some old friend that didn't even bother to owl him once in a while didn't seem to be Remus' favorite activity.

"Because you, unlike the rest of your friends, are the sharpest tool in the shed."

_(A/N: I know, I know, that is a completely old, over-clichéd line… but I like it!) _

"Fine, just tell me where to go."

-"_Whether I am up or down or in or out or just plain overhead, instead it just feels like it's impossible to fly"-_

--

Three days later, James trudged into the apartment, throwing his broom and Quidditch bag off to the side, away from the doorframe. Their team had just had the worst practice of their lives, and James had been the sole cause of it. Okay, well maybe not the _sole _cause, but he definitely added a lot to the equation. It was wet and stormy, and neither him, nor anyone else on the team could really see straight. It was the kind of weather that felt like someone was sitting just above the clouds, violently pitching anything in its reach down at the ground.

_Seems like that an awful lot lately, doesn't it? _The somewhat cynical side of him chided as he pulled off his jacket and curled up on the couch with a blanket his mom had made for him when he was first going off to Hogwarts. It was silly for him to still have it, really, but his mum had spent so many days making it for him, it seemed wrong to get rid of it. Besides, whenever he felt cold, inside or out, this blanket warmed him up completely. He had spent nearly two whole weeks just sitting around with the blanket after Lily refused him, and somehow he recovered, and started his life over.

_Funny, _he thought, _it_ _doesn't seem like I've changed much in my life. The basics remain the same: Sirius is my best friend; I have a girl that means the world to me, and everywhere I go people are always know my name. _

James took off his glasses and set them on the table end next to the couch, and as the world blurred, he closed his eyes, hoping maybe he would feel better after waking up from a long rest.

_-"But with you I can spread my wings to see me over everything that life may send me, when I am hoping it won't pass me by"- _

--

_KNOCK, KNOCK._

Lily looked up from her work at the door. She was seated at her desk in her office, deeply immersed in one of her books, Ye Olde Forgotten Healer-magic, to be exact. Her hair was a mess from multiple frustrated strokes between flipping pages, and she was in no mood to be entertaining a guest in her office. She stole a glance at her wristwatch, which read 10:30 P.M. _Who on earth__ would be coming to see me at this time of night?_ Sighing heavily, she waved her hand nonchalantly and watched as the door opened to reveal someone she had not seen in nearly three years… Meredith.

"MEREDITH!" Lily screamed with elation and jumped up from behind her desk, wrapping her best friend in a hug.

"Lily… air… need… air…. To BREATHE!" She forced out from Lily's suffocating hug.

"Sorry."

"It's ok; I at least know you were excited to see me." Her best friend said sarcastically, grinning.

"Sit down, please." Lily said, waving a hand at the chair in front of her desk. Another swift motion closed her office door, and Lily re-seated herself across from Meredith. "So, what business are you here on? Auror work I suppose?"

"Actually," she said hesitantly, "I'm here on call from Dumbledore."

"What?"

"Dumbledore sent for me from the Auror Academy to round up our old gang again. He wants us to meet with him next Friday at noon, over at Hogwarts." She supplied the information and prepared herself for the blow… the old gang certainly encompassed James and that was a person Meredith was still very sure that Lily was not going to want to see.

"Really? He took you out of the Academy?" Lily said, trying as hard as she could to maintain a civil disposition. She was fully aware of what Meredith meant by "the old gang": their six Gryffindor friends, two of which she was definitely not speaking to.

"Yes, and I'm supposed to tell you to leave your Deputy Head Healer in charge, as we are going to Switzerland."

"SWITZERLAND? What on earth for?"

"To round up our Quidditch players of course." Meredith giggled. She couldn't help that she thought it was funny that Lily was mad a James, it was completely silly- they were meant for each other, and yet she didn't think that three years ago when he asked her to marry him. Something about going through and seeing the state of the world and the transient trials of love had taught Meredith that some things needed to be, even if it was only for a while.

_-"And when I feel like there is no one that will ever know me there you are to show me"- _

"I refuse." Lily said directly, pushing the heavy book off her desk and putting it back on a nearby bookshelf.

"You can't refuse Dumbledore!" Meredith's voice rose slightly, showing her great respect for the man, even after their school days.

"I'm just saying that I will go to Hogwarts and see Dumbledore myself."

"No, Lily, I can't let you! I have direct orders!"

"Well then break them!" Lily almost shouted.

Meredith's caramel brown eyes looked hurt. She was only doing her duty to Dumbledore and fulfilling his requests, and Lily had turned rashly on her. Lily's life had changed her; her line of work was triumphant at times, but the death and pain that usually surrounded Lily weighed heavily on her shoulders.

"Mere, I didn't mean-"

"No. You're right. You go ahead and I'll get the boys from their tournament." She stood solemnly, and turned to leave.

"Meredith, please, wait-"

"No, you've said your peace Lily Evans."

"Please! Wait, Mere, I'm sorry, I know you had your orders, and-"

"And I'll just have to carry them out by myself. All I ask of you now is to find Remus, and tell him that I'm sorry. 'Bye Lily."

"Meredith! Sorry for what?" Lily called out

Meredith apparated out of Lily's office, still feeling hurt. Something happened to the both of them since they had seen each other last. Maybe it was because of the distance that they had between them. Maybe it was their lives taking them down foreign paths. Maybe it was just the fact that people just have to grow up and change. Whatever it was, Meredith did not like it one bit.

_-"When I look to the sky, something tells me you're here with me, and you make everything alright when you are here. And when I feel like I'm lost something tells me you're right here next to me, and I can always find my way when you are here"-_

--

**A/N: OKAY!**** Chapter Two is done! Love it? Hate it? Wanna print it out and burn it? Doesn't matter to me, just tell me about it. And as many people who know me know, I will write you an awful message back if you write me one! So just, be forewarned! OKAY! So, this chapter is way like, more depressing, yes, but I had to stop the comedy somewhere and start the drama! It will get more comedic soon though, so do not fret! Okay! Onto my faithful followers... I mean, um, reviewers! **

**rEvIeWs**

**Snowy- Thanks!**

**Sally- I did, I did, chill out girl!**

**PhsycoChick991- I read your story, fyi, and It was good, I mean you have a lot of potential… Revising and finding a Beta would be good for you though. :D Thanks for the review, and keep on reviewing please!**

**Allie- thanks! ****J**

**Ourlittlesecret7- lol like the whole grade are cheerleaders my school! Hahaha… yeah but given those options, I'd totally go with the Shakespeare thing. Totally. Wow I feel like such a valley girl… :-/ oh well! ****J**

**Velvet Curtain- thanks! The first of this series is like the next chapter, so please read! Wait, but you'd have already read that to be reading this. Oh well. Whatever!**

**Okay, that is all from me folks! **

**Your loving, omnipotent yet benevolent Princess Emerald ;) **


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